The present invention relates to an in-building network system, and an electrical distribution board, an outlet box and the like that are used to construct the system.
As electrical appliances at home and offices are further computerized, standardization of interfaces are promoted for connecting electrical appliances through networks in order to realize data exchange, remote-control and office automation. IEEE 1394 serial interfaces and USB interfaces are well known as typical interfaces among those interfaces. For example, an IEEE 1394 serial interface uses many branch nodes and twist pair cables. This interface is characterized in that appliances can be hot plugged at various locations at home or in office.
One embodiment of the present invention provides an electrical distribution board that stores terminals of a signal cable connected to a communication network and an electrical power cable connected to an electrical distribution cable, the electrical distribution board comprising:
an in-building electrical distribution breaker inserted between the electrical power cable and the in-building distribution cable; a gateway that interfaces the communication network with the in-building network; and a plurality of optical repeaters, each having a bi-directional conversion function between an electrical signal and an optical signal between an electrical signal input/output terminal and an optical signal input/output terminal, and having an electrical signal input/output terminal that is connected to an electrical signal input/output terminal for in-building network connection of the gateway, wherein the optical signal input/output terminal is connected to an optical fiber cable of the in-building network.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an electrical distribution board that stores terminals of a signal cable connected to a communication network and of an electrical power cable connected to an electrical distribution cable, the electrical distribution board comprising:
an in-building electrical distribution breaker inserted between the electrical power cable and an in-building electrical distribution cable; a gateway that interfaces the communication network with the in-building network; and
a plurality of optical repeaters, each having a bi-directional conversion function between an electrical signal and an optical signal between an electrical signal input/output terminal and an optical signal input/output terminal, and having an electrical signal input/output terminal that is connected to an electrical signal input/output terminal for in-building network connection of the gateway, wherein the optical signal input/output terminal is connected to an optical fiber cable of the in-building network, and wherein the gateway is externally attached to a casing that stores the in-building electrical distribution breaker and the optical repeater.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a junction box for in-building network that stores terminals of an in-building complex cable including an in-building electrical distribution cable and an optical fiber cable, comprising: a distribution apparatus that is connected to the in-building electrical distribution cable and distributes the in-building electrical distribution cable; and an optical repeater having a bi-directional conversion function between an electrical signal and an optical signal between electrical signal input/output terminals and optical signal input/output terminals, wherein an optical fiber cable on an electrical distribution board side is connected to one of the optical signal input/output terminals and an optical fiber cable on an outlet box side is connected to the other of the optical signal input/output terminals.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an outlet box that stores terminals of an in-building complex cable including an in-building electrical distribution cable and an optical fiber cable, comprising:
an electrode plug receptor section that is connected to the in-building electrical distribution cable; a plurality of optical repeaters, each having a bi-directional conversion function between an electrical signal and an optical signal between an electrical signal input/output terminal and an optical signal input/output terminal and having an optical signal input/output terminal that is connected to the optical fiber cable; and a serial interface cable connection terminal that is connected to an electrical signal input/output terminal of the optical repeater.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a plug with electrical code, the plug being connected to one end of an electrical code including a power supply line that supplies power source electrical power to an appliance and a signal cable that connects the appliance and an in-building network, and comprising an electrode plug that is electrically connected to the power supply line and a serial interface plug that is electrically connected to the signal cable.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides a plug with electrical cord, the plug being connected to one end of an electrical cable including a power supply line that supplies power source electrical power to an appliance and a signal cable that connects the appliance and an in-building network, and comprising an electrode plug that is electrically connected to the power supply line and an optical connector that is connected to the optical fiber cable.
Another embodiment of the present invention provides an outlet box terminal board to be connected to a plug with electrical cord, the plug being connected to one end of an electrical cord including a power supply line that supplies power supply electrical power to an appliance and a signal cable that connects the appliance and an in-building network and comprising an electrode plug that is electrically connected to the power supply line and a serial interface plug that is electrically connected to the signal cable, the outlet box terminal board comprising: an electrode plug receptor section that is connected to an in-building electrical distribution cable and receives the electrode plug, and a serial interface cable connection terminal that is disposed adjacent the electrode plug receptor section and connected to an electrical signal input/output terminal of an optical repeater and receives the serial interface plug.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention provides an in-building network system comprising: an electrical distribution board that receives an electrical power cable that is connected to an electrical distribution line and a signal cable that is connected to a network and an outlet box that is connected to the electrical distribution board through in-building complex cables including an electrical distribution cable and an optical fiber cable, wherein the outlet box is equipped with an electrical plug receptor section that connects to an electrical plug and an optical fiber connector receptor section that receives an optical fiber connector; and a gate that opens an opening section of the optical fiber connector receptor section when a tip of the electrical plug is inserted in the electrical plug receptor section and closes the opening section of the optical fiber connector receptor section when the tip of the electrical plug is pulled out the electrical plug receptor section.
Still another embodiment of the present invention provides an in-building network system comprising: an electrical distribution board that stores a signal cable connected to a communication network and an electrical power cable connected to an electrical distribution cable, the electrical distribution board comprising an in-building electrical distribution breaker inserted between the electrical power cable and an in-building electrical distribution cable, a gateway that interfaces between the communication network and the in-building network, and a plurality of optical repeaters, each having a bi-directional conversion function between an electrical signal and an optical signal and having an electrical signal input/output terminal that is connected to an electrical signal input/output terminal for in-building network connection of the gateway and an optical signal input/output terminal that inputs and outputs a signal corresponding to an electrical signal provided by the bi-directional conversion function and is connected to an optical fiber cable of the in-building network; and an outlet box that stores terminals of in-building complex cables including the in-building electrical distribution cable and the optical fiber cable, the outlet box comprising an electrode plug receptor section that is connected to the in-building electrical distribution cable, a plurality of optical repeaters, each having a bi-directional conversion function between an electrical signal and an optical signal and having an optical signal input/output terminal that is connected to the optical fiber cable and an electrical signal input/output terminal that inputs and outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the optical signal provided by the bi-directional conversion function, and a pair of serial interface cable connection terminals that is connected to the electrical signal input/output terminal of the optical repeater.
Still another embodiment of the present invention provides a table tap comprising: an electrical cord including a power supply line that supplies power supply electrical power to an appliance and a signal cable that connects the appliance and an in-building network; a plug connected to one end of the electrical cord and having an electrode plug that is electrically connected to the power supply line and a serial interface plug that is electrically connected to the signal cable; and a tap that is connected to the other end of the electrical cord and having an electrode plug receptor section that is electrically connected to the power supply line and a serial interface cable connecting terminal that is electrically connected to the signal cable.